564 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S, Vol. VII. No. 173. 



missing link between these two hitherto 

 entirely diiferent types of peroxids, its ac- 

 tive oxygen being at the same time both 

 entirely ozonic and entirely autozonic." 

 He believes both praseodymium and neo- 

 dymium may be further split up and will 

 give when pure for their highest oxids 

 the formulEe Pr^O^ and N"d,Og ; hence, he 

 would arrange the eighth series of the 

 periodic system as follows : 



I. II. III. IV. V. VI. 



Cs Ba La Ce Pr ISTd 

 133 137.4 138.2 139.7 141 143.6 



Some months ago a petition, signed by 

 several hundred members of the Chemical 

 Society (London), was presented to the 

 Council, asking for an amendment to the 

 By-Laws so that members could vote for 

 the officers at the annual meeting by proxy 

 or by mail. As the number of members 

 who can be present at this meeting is not 

 large, a comparatively small proportion of 

 the total membership practically controls 

 the offices. The Council declined to take 

 any action owing to the fact that such a 

 By-Law would conflict with the charter. 

 An effort was then made to have the Coun- 

 cil seek an amendment to the charter, 

 which was declined. A petition was then 

 presented to have the Council take action 

 to obtain the views of the members by tak- 

 ing a mail vote on the question : " Are you 

 in favor of the proposal that a supple- 

 mental charter should be applied for to the 

 Privy Council so as to enable Fellows to 

 vote at the annual election of the oflicers 

 by post or proxy?" This also the Council 

 declines to do. The desire of the peti- 

 tioners is so manifestly just that it is 

 hardly probable the matter will be allowed 

 to rest at this point, but it is to be greatly 

 hoped that the usefulness of the Society 

 will not be impaired by dissensions. 



J. L. H. 



SCIENTIFIC NOTES AND NEWS. 



THE CHICAGO SECTION OF THE ATMEEICAN M.ATH- 

 EMATICAL SOCIETY. 



The third regular semi-annual meeting of 

 the Chicago Section of the American Mathe- 

 matical Society was held at .the University of 

 Chicago, on Saturday, April 9, 1898, with the 

 following program : 



1. A triangle related to Nagel's triangle. Peo- 

 FESSOE Robert J. Aley, Indiana University. 



2. The ellipsograph oE Proclus and its in%'erse (illus- 

 trated by models). Dr. E. M. Blake, Purdue Uni- 

 versity. 



3. The structure of the hypoabelian groups. De. 

 L. E. Dickson, University of California. 



4. I. Quaternion notes. II. Introduction to the 

 theory of functions of a quaternion or a vector vari- 

 able. De. Shunkichi Kimuea, Sendai, Japan. 



5. On the most general form of the inner potential 

 consistent with the complete integration of the differ- 

 ential equations of motion of a free system of two 

 bodies. De. Kuet Laves, the University of Chi- 

 cago. 



6. Concerning the case where a linear substitution 

 group of finite order in n variables breaks up into 

 groups in a lower number of variables. Associate 

 Peofessoe H. Maschke, the University of Chicago. 



7. On the roots of a determinantal equation. Peo- 

 fessoe W. H. Metzlee, Syracuse University. 



8. A two-parameter class of solvable quintics in 

 which the rational relations amongst the roots by 

 threes are independent of the parameters (preliminary 

 communication). Head Peofessoe E. H.Moore, 

 the University of Chicago. 



9. Dual algebras. Peofessoe James Byenie 

 Shaw, Illinois College. 



At the opening of the afternoon session, in 

 response to the invitation of the program com- 

 mittee. Professor Michelson, of the University 

 Chicago, made a very interesting exhibition of 

 the theory and of the workings of the new 

 ' Harmonic Analyser ' to the members of the 

 Society. 



PEOPEETIES OF THE X-EAYS. 



Peofessoe Rontgen has made to the Berlin 

 Academy of Sciences a third communication on 

 the X-rays. A summary in the Electrical World 

 states that if an opaque plate is placed between 

 the tubes and the screen, covering the whole of 

 the latter, some fluorescence will still be seen 

 even when the plate is directly on the screen ; 



